Originally conceived at the 1864 Geneva Convention, the Red Cross on a white background is one of the most immediately recognized symbols in the world. Branding agency, Concrete Design, was tasked with revisiting the visual identity.

The Canadian Red Cross Society (CRC) is one of 190 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. After review of the current state of its identity system, the organization identified many issues with how the symbol was currently being employed – notably difficulties in digital applications and inconsistent alignment with the International Red Cross Movement.

The Existing Identity System

The CRC engaged Concrete to review its current identity system and develop a comprehensive set of guidelines that addresses the identity’s general usability, public perception, and accessibility, all while representing the organization’s core values of humanitarianism, leadership, trust, expertise, safety, protection, hope, neutrality, and unity.

"It was exciting and meaningful for us to do this work for such an important Canadian institution," says Diti Katona, Chief Creative Officer at Concrete. "The existing brand had limitations in terms of the way it could be executed. Ultimately, we wanted to provide a simplified and flexible system that reflects the values of the institution - pared down, neutral, understated, and reflective of the core values.”

The revised identity guidelines details a comprehensive system of scaling the symbol along with directions for using the symbol in all stakeholder touch points, including communications materials, digital applications, signage and field applications.